|
Meet your Special Someone™
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome to Ari-Wood. Step right up and see the sights. To your left, you will see the delicate fragility of fairy land. On the right, watch out for the fiery dragons. For your safety, we recommend you stay on the path and don't stray into the netherworlds of risk and chance. Alternatively, perhaps you like the benefits that go along with taking that chance..........
All rights to the poetry and stories in Ari-Wood
belong exclusively to the author.
That which is not mine,
That which is not good,
That which is not altruistic....
Is requested to leave.
The stories and poems encased in this crystal blog are written from my own imagination and in no way are intended to be viewed as written to any specific person unless I specifically state that it is.
My heart is a book which you leaf through as simply as the pages of this blog..
Antiqued an worn
The words bleed
From a hidden place
Deep within my chapters
Where only one can see
And whispering spirits tarry
Frayed are my edges
Yet my gliding
Remains beautiful
Not a mere ornament
But a testament to the tooling
Which has geared my life
Sown tightly is my binding
I have weathered the years
I shine with wisdom an character
Like no other book
Yet my cover bares the marks
Of ordinary use
Turn my pages lightly
And you shall read
My hued memories
Of dreams and dreaminess
Of times and timelessness
Of lives and liveliness
Upon my inner pages
Are scribbled
Achromatic dreams
My love
My hopes
My life
You are such a treasured book
All my love, Sister of my heart
(Written by a special sister of my heart...MsAlchemy2...a special gift...I wanted to share.)
|
|
|
| I Need a Life |
May 29, 2007 9:37 pm
1196 Views | Another day, another test...geez..and I have another one tomorrow; and then a flying trip to Pocatello. You think I'm ever going to get to slow down?
Can someone send me some laughter? That's my kind of go-go juice....
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Laughter needed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Send the fairy some down time.
Love to all...
Ari | |
|
28 Comments | |
| Remembering |
May 28, 2007 10:19 pm
1080 Views |  | Are you…..
Dancing on my memory?
I remember every tree
We walked beneath
In hidden dreams
Whispered words forgot too soon
Emptiness within this room
Where we once met
I can’t forget
Chill pervades this lonely bed
Wasn’t only what we said
That introduced
Your words of truth
Voices linger from the past
Hushed in anger; spent too fast
I wanted you
To suffer, too |
| |
|
20 Comments | |
| Silent Messages - Poetic Challenge #8 |
May 28, 2007 8:23 pm
950 Views |  | I knew when I kissed lips
Icy with a porcelain chill
Your words lied
Deep inside
How I cried
Longing for a return
Sun warming my spirit
Showing me
Know that we
Cannot be
A thief in silent darkness
Rain slips absently from eyes
Blurring ink
Have a drink
Do not think
In our presence, pain is
Ambient; implicit in eyes
Drenched in fear
Hide a tear
Don’t come near
Builder of walls too high
Stand far and watch the world go by
Begin now
Tell me how
Not to bow |
| |
|
12 Comments | |
| Friends |
May 27, 2007 11:11 pm
942 Views | Carolyn posted an interesting blog about friendship...and communication. Riny often comments about how soon we call others "friend". I've been thinking about this the last few weeks...what makes a person our friend...and what makes them a good friend. How can we build friendships here on-line...where we can't see one another...can't really be sure?
This weekend made an excellent time to work through my feelings on friendships. I spent Saturday night playing online with people I care about very much…Carolyn, Bruce, and Sharon. These three people are among my closest friends on FF. Today, I spent the day with my sister and my friend Michelle. We played Scrabble all day long…what a challenge. So…I took the opportunity to compare my online friendships with my offline friendships.
I tend to take people at face value, particularly women. So, I meet them…and unless they really set off alarms in my head, I accept them for the person they present to me. I believe there are lessons I can share from my past…so I do share those lessons, in the hope that other women will be spared the kind of experiences I’ve had. So…more trust. Most women share back equally; not all, but a fair number. It builds the feeling of connection between us…and so, a friendship is born.
I’m generally very fortunate in that the people I meet become good and trusted friends; mutually. A friend is a person I can tell anything to and know that it will not go further, because they guard my privacy as I guard theirs. A friend is a person I can go to when life hurts like hell and I need to be reassured that I can make it through; a person I can share laughter and stories with; a person who wishes only the best for me…even when I’m screwing up spectacularly. A friend is a person who tells me when my habits, patterns, words…are hurtful to myself and others…but tells me in a manner that’s constructive rather than destructive. And a friend is a person who expects the same from me.
Sometimes I make people friends and then find out that they are not the people I thought they were. I don’t do well with people who complain constantly; I don’t do well with people who want the world to feel bad for them; I don’t do well with people who think they are better than others; and I don’t do well with people who are intentionally hurtful. Those are people who get cut from my world rather quickly. Unfortunately, by the time I’ve cut them from my world, they are usually expecting more from me than I’m prepared to give...and they can be cruel in the expression of that dissatisfaction. When I choose a friend badly…I do it spectacularly.
Because we are all human, we sometimes make mistakes; say the wrong thing, react badly…and we have the ability to hurt our friends. But, a true friend knows that sometimes what we’ve said and/or done…isn’t necessarily what we meant to say or do…and will ask us about it….and remember the last time they did the same.
I was thinking about the people I am closest to. They all share certain characteristics…each and every one of them. They have a wicked and twisted sense of humor that matches my own. They don’t expect me to behave…cause it’s never going to happen…I am naughty and a prankster…and I don’t think that’s likely to change any too soon. They understand that I take life very personally…and sometimes something small will hurt me much more than they expect it to do…and I need to vent it off…whether by talking or writing. They encourage me to get my emotions out rather than trying to stifle them.
Funnily enough…each of my friends also reacts this way in their own life…although several of them can’t see that for themselves. So…we are there for one another…because we intimately understand why the other is hurt by something anyone else would say we should ignore. Each of my friends makes fun of me in the same manner I make fun of them…and it’s all in fun, no one takes it personally…we just keep dishing it out. Lots of people seem to think we are being mean to one another…yet not one of us would hurt any of the others…EVER! We are only playing.
Each of my friends has strong opinions that they are not afraid to voice. They are strong-willed, generous, supportive people who will speak out for issues they believe strongly in…and against those that offend them. I value that in each of them as well.
The most interesting lesson I learned this weekend…is that my method of selecting friends does not vary, whether it is online or off. My closest friends do not vary, online or off. The friendships I’ve built on FF have been just as strong as those in my offline world…and just as special.
The people we share with every single day…become a part of our life. They are real people, with real feelings, real lives, and real pains. Do I make friends faster than I should? Probably…but that will never change. I care…and it’s my way of showing how much I care. Will I get hurt by it? Probably…but that’s ok. I can heal from anything life throws at me. I have the greatest friends in the world to back me when I’m down. | |
|
8 Comments | |
| What |
May 26, 2007 11:43 am
1070 Views |  | So...I thought it might be fun to share some favorite recipes. I am including my favorite dessert...which I often serve when I have company over. Here's the deal...for each recipe you share, you can choose a type of food and I'll share a recipe of that type...say...you choose an appetizer.
It's always fun to try other people's favorite dishes...and I thought this might be an interesting way to get some new recipes to test out. I'm not diabetic, but I have some family members who are, so I've learned some diabetic cooking techniques. Hope you like it.
Strawberry-Banana Tart
1 cup sifted cake flour
1 tsp. granulated sugar substitute
¼ c. margarine
2 tbs. ice water
Vegetable cooking spray
1 (8 ounce) package Neufchatel cheese, softened
2/3 cup lemon-flavored nonfat yogurt
1 tbs. granulated sugar substitute
1 medium banana, peeled and sliced
1 tbs. lemon juice
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 tbs. sugar-free apple jelly, melted
Combine flour and 1 tsp. sugar substitute in a large bowl; cut in margarine with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal and is pale yellow (about 3 ½ minutes). Sprinkle ice water, 1 tbs. at a time, over surface; toss with a fork just until dry ingredients are moistened and mixture is crumbly.
Roll dough into a 10-inch circle between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; refrigerate dough 15 minutes. Coat bottom of a 9 inch round removable-bottom tart pan with cooking spray. Press dough in bottom and up sides of pan; flute edges. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool completely.
Beat cheese, yogurt, and 1 tbs. sugar substitute with a wire whisk until smooth. Spread cheese mixture in tart shell.
Combine banana slices and lemon juice in a small bowl; toss. Arrange banana and strawberries over cheese mixture. Brush fruit evenly with melted jelly.
180 calories per serving. From 501 delicious diabetic recipes.
This recipe can be modified and simplified by buying a graham cracker crust, using cream cheese instead of Neufchatel. It tastes wonderful and is a particular favorite of guests in my house. I usually make it the night before I am having guests so that it has time to set up in the refrigerator. |
| |
|
16 Comments | |
| Karaoke Schedule |
May 25, 2007 7:01 pm
1149 Views | I meant to post this the other day...but it didn't happen. Sometimes people suck.
Anyway...I was wanting to try to do the karaoke tomorrow night, starting around 6 Mountain Time...so...who can make it then...or do we reschedule for two weeks from now? | |
|
23 Comments | |
| Not So Healthy Choices |
May 24, 2007 5:44 pm
1294 Views | I have a test tonight, so I thought I'd eat some brain food before I leave. So...I'm having cereal...junk cereal...all carbs and sugars.
I just wondered...what's your favorite junky cereal...and do you still secretly eat it from time to time?
I try to eat healthy and have yogurt and granola or fruit most of the time...but every now and then...I slip a box of Cocoa Pebbles into the house and enjoy it for a few days.
So...what's your secret indulgence? | |
|
26 Comments | |
| Dain Bramage |
May 23, 2007 8:09 pm
1010 Views | I have dain bramage. I'm serious. I'm seriously defective.
I bought a treadmill recently. A way nice one that does all kinds of funky things and has little computer chips to run different programs on it. Of course, since I've been working on the living room, I hadn't had any place to use it. So...tonight I did.
They tell you to wear shoes while walking on a treadmill. Do you know why they tell you to wear shoes while walking on a treadmill? Cause if you don't, you get blisters on the soles of your feet where the conveyer belt thingy runs. (This is a woman term for "I don't know what the flipping thing is called".)
So guess who has blisters on the soles of her stupid feet?
Carolyn!! I told you to wear shoes on it!!!!!! | |
|
6 Comments | |
| Happy Birthday, Baby |
May 22, 2007 10:00 pm
1162 Views | 24 years ago...seems like a long time, doesn't it? More than half my life.
Today is my beautiful daughter's birthday. I had wanted to have children...lots and lots of children, but I kept miscarrying...one right after another. The doctor kept talking about total bed-rest. Not likely...not with me. I actually had given up on the idea...and then suddenly, I was pregnant again.
I didn't let myself get excited or eager...didn't plan anything. Well heck, we didn't have any money to plan anything with at the time. My husband was out of work...again. We lived in a little two room hotel room...rent by the week. I knew it wasn't going to happen.
And then...the fourth month passed and I was still pregnant. So shocking to me. It wasn't an easy pregnancy...but it really wasn't hard. I had morning sickness the first trimester, night sickness the third, none in the second. I didn't slow down a bit...it wasn't in my nature. During the pregnancy, I learned that I had Mitral Valve Prolapse, gallstones...and it was when I began having problems with my eyes. I had the longest nails you've ever seen...they never broke.
The funniest part of the whole thing was that I swore...the whole time, that I was having a boy. Good thing no one believed me.
So...we go to the hospital at midnight. It's funny how fast these things happen...or maybe I was just lucky. They put an IV in my wrist and whatever this nurse did wrong was really wrong because there was blood spraying everywhere. My husband went into a seizure and spent the next couple of hours in the emergency room. I got sent to delivery.
Tia wasn't a very big baby...7 pounds, 3 ounces...but I guess I wasn't meant to have children naturally...I had nearly 60 stitches from having her...fourth degree injuries. I thought they had killed me.
And then...this beautiful, miraculous creature is laid in my arms. Dark curly hair, beautiful blue eyes...tiny fingers and toes...and I worshipped the ground she walked on.
That doesn't change. It doesn't matter what your kids put you through...you still worship the ground they walk on. Sometimes I have to be tough with her...I think it hurts me more than it ever hurts her. Sometimes I don't like the person she is...still, I love her with every fiber of my being.
She's still tiny...5'5 and maybe 105 pounds. Her hair lightened until it was a blend of all colors like her father's. Her eyes changed to a blend of green and grey. She's still perfect to me.
She once heard me tell a friend that I had always wanted a boy first. That was true...but only so my daughters would have an older brother to look after them. I hope...if she ever reads this...she understands that if I'd known I would only have one child...I'd have picked a girl....I'd have picked her.
Happy Birthday, Tiana. I love you all the days of your life...and beyond. | |
|
18 Comments | |
| When We Reach the Last Straw |
May 20, 2007 11:03 pm
1362 Views | Yesterday, I put up a post that seems to have upset some people. I never intended to upset anyone, rather...to put an end to some unpleasantness that I had grown tired of. I'm not perfect. I'm human. Sometimes I react badly to situations which seem to be innocent...or trivial.
I was thinking tonight about why the situation impacted me the way it did. It led me to a story about a friend of mine.
My friend is one of the nicest women I've ever met. When people move to town, she takes them under her wing and introduces them to everyone she knows. She invites them to outings, shows them around town...generally, she's a one-woman welcome wagon. I've never heard her raise her voice or a finger in anger.
She recently told me a story about an episode in her life. It happened just a couple of years ago.
There was a woman who used to hit her arm every single day. Now, Chelle didn't know if the woman meant it as playful or not, but she was hitting hard enough to hurt...and in the course of time, Chelle had a good size bruise on her arm.
At first, Chelle tried to tell her to stop...that the hitting hurt. Then she walked away and pretended it didn't bother her. Finally, she had reached the end of her limit and when the woman hit her, she whipped around and hit her back...in the same place...but hard.
The woman cried out saying that it hurt to be hit. Chelle looked at her and responded, "Good. Now that you know how much it hurts, I hope you'll stop hitting me." And the woman did indeed stop hitting her.
I'm not saying what Chelle did was right; but I can see where sometimes we have been poked and prodded to the point where we feel we have no respite. We have spoken to the person, asked them to stop, ignored them, done everything we can think of to avoid making the situation worse...and we can still come up against that last poke that makes us respond badly.
In all honesty, I reached that point last night. And perhaps I responded badly. For my poor taste, I apologize. To anyone who feels hurt by my actions, I apologize. For taking the action I felt needed to be taken at that moment in time, I do not apologize. If that seems unreasonable of me, I'm sorry. | |
|
23 Comments | |
| To link to this blog (Ari_fairy) use [blog Ari_fairy] in your messages. |
|
|
|
|
| Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Sat |
| |
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
42
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
30
|
31
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
